Getting from Good to Great Culture

In a Gallup Chairman's Blog published earlier this year, Jim Clifton shared the prevailing "silver bullet" found in over 40 years of studying lousy-to-great organizational cultures. Gallup's research found that 70% of the variance between lousy, good, and great cultures can be found in the team leaders' knowledge, skills and talents. Note that it's not about the players, but the leaders.

The importance of leadership is far from breaking news, but the quantification of its importance is attention-getting. Clifton comments that "great companies got more benefits, more quickly from Six Sigma and lean management." See what you think of his three recommendations to help you engineer a great culture.

Sometimes, a little "wrong thinking" can get you to the right place. Learn how an AutoDesk research fellow applied reverse thinking. He flipped the roles of 'superhero' and 'sidekick' and creatively reframed his leadership role to his company's advantage.

Dr. Jay Lawrence, Associate Chief Quality Officer for Ambulatory Care at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, discussed "Lean Six Sigma in Value-Based Healthcare Transformation" at the August Lean Six Sigma Solutions breakfast.